Radical new dating app forces users to actually call each other

Hotline’s schtick makes you pick up the phone and speak into it – to another person

Hotline’s schtick would terrify some, although what it offers is essentially the same as just looking someone up in the phone book and calling them, like our ancestors had to do. Text messages outrank phone calls as the dominant form of communication between millennials, with some considering phone calls to be intrusive, even presumptuous.

On the other hand, many bemoan the lack of intimacy fostered by online dating. Emojis are one thing, but actual emotion, discernible through the sound of someone’s voice? Woah. Huge.

Hotline does have a messaging function, but it’s only enabled once you call the user you’ve matched with, which means late night booty calls are pretty much out of the question unless you’re that smooth-tongued. And so are endless matches; Hotline only allows three matches, to be exact, which is meant to help foster more intimate communication between users by making everyone feel a bit more special.

It’s only available in New York for now, and it does cost $9 per month to use (~premium~), but we’ll stay tuned to see if Hotline is a workable alternative to apps like Tinder and Bumble.

In the interim, practice those phone greetings. Chances are you’re a little rusty.